Hansaton’s Jerry Yanz Predicts Hearing Industry Will Get A Charge From Rechargeable Hearing Aids

If you can recharge your cell phone once and it will work for several days, why can’t you do the same thing with your hearing aids? Jerry L. Yanz of Hansaton will tell anyone within earshot why. More important, he will tell you how yesterday’s inadequate rechargeable hearing aids are being replaced by new rechargeables that actually work the way you do–all day long.

Until recently, the few rechargeable hearing aids on the market had significant limitations. Often their charge lasted less than a full day, so if you depended on them from morning to night, you were out of luck.

Many first-generation rechargeable hearing aids also suffered from the problem you had with early cell phone batteries — if you recharged them before they were completely empty, they would run out of gas quicker and quicker after each charge.

As a result, most hearing aids today still require non-rechargeable, disposable batteries. The batteries last a few days or, if you’re lucky, more than a week. But no matter how energy-efficient your hearing aids are, you end up buying dozens of batteries a year at up to a dollar a piece. It’s expensive, and disposing of so many dead batteries is wasteful and bad for the environment.

But there’s good news: Hansaton solved the problems of first-generation rechargeables to many users’ satisfaction more than a year ago when it introduced its new AQ 2G hearing aids featuring the AQ Custom ITE (in-the-ear) and AQ X-Mini RIC (receiver-in-the-canal) models. Jerry Yanz, PhD and director of audiology at Hansaton Acoustics, is a long-time hearing-industry evangelist who has been banging the drum for rechargeable hearing aids as a solution whose time has finally come. He recently co-authored an article in the Hearing Review telling you everything you need to know about the new rechargeable hearing aids.

The new Hansaton hearing aids keep their charge for 20 hours or longer and fully recharge in less than eight hours. Unless you sleep with your hearing aids turned on, you get to use them during all your waking hours. If you wear contact lenses and take them out only when you go to bed and pop them back in when you wake up, now you can follow the same routine with your hearing aids.

Other manufacturers with rechargeables already on the market as well as new entrants will be racing to catch up to with new rechargeables that deliver the mainstream features that Hansaton is promoting. When they do, customers will have a choice of fully functional rechargeables to compare against traditional hearing aids requiring disposable batteries.

If you are shopping for rechargeable hearing aids, Yanz and his co-authors suggest asking questions such as: How long will the charge last? Will the power really last all day? How long do they take to to recharge? Will they be fully charged even after a short night’s sleep? How long will the rechargeable batteries last before I have to replace them? Will the manufacturer replace them for me? And how convenient and easy is the recharging system?

When multiple manufacturers along with Hansaton are able to come up with satisfactory answers to all those questions, we may see the day when rechargeable hearing aids are as familiar as our rechargeable cell phones.

Lantos Technologies Has A Working Demonstration Of World’s First Digital Ear Canal Scanner

Lantos Technologies, developer of a 3D digital ear canal scanner that could be a game changer for the hearing-aid industry and consumer audio business, has been demonstrating its technology at the Starkey Laboratories 2012 Hearing Innovation Expo in Las Vegas. Audiologists at the conference Tweeted about the “wow” effect of a product that’s slick, comfortable and easy to use. To see a demonstration, click on the video:

The Massachusetts company calls its product “the world’s first intra-aural 3D scanning device.” It is a direct, digital, 3D scanner capable of measuring ear canal shape and tissue compliance to produce a highly accurate map of the ear canal. It will eliminate the uncertainties associated with manual fits, greatly improving the performance of custom made ear products across a wide variety of markets ranging from hearing aids, to headsets and earphones for iPods, MP3 players and high-end audio applications, and industrial hearing protection.

Starkey Laboratories Research Shows ‘Invisibility’ Is One Of Top Five Factors In Consumers’ Hearing Aid Choice

According to new market research, “invisibility” is one of the top five factors customers consider when buying a hearing aid, according to a presentation by a senior Starkey Laboratories executive yesterday at the 2012 Starkey Hearing Innovations Expo in Las Vegas. The research (Chart 1) reveals that consumers are less interested in what brand of hearing aid they are buying than other factors such as: 1) price; 2) sound quality; 3) form factor; 4) visibility/invisibility; and 5) customer service.

More than most other major global hearing aid manufacturers, Starkey Labs has focused development and marketing resources on the invisible hearing aid market over the past two years. Now the presentation by Dennis Van Vliet, Au.D., Starkey’s Senior Director of Professional Relations, explains why: the prized Baby Boomer market segment is far more receptive to “invisible” high-tech solutions than the previous generation of hearing aid users. In addition to the cosmetic appeal of a hearing aid no one knows you are wearing, today’s techno-savvy Boomers, who are attracted to high-tech gadgetry in general, are fascinated by the tiny new hearing systems that can pack more power and performance into a tiny package that sits deep within your ear canal than the huge behind-the-ear models that were the norm only a few years ago.

I’m not at the conference but received a copy of the presentation, which is packed with interesting new information, including a fascinating comparison (Chart 2) between consumers above 65 years old, who are generally averse to technology and less interested in fashion and an active lifestyle, versus Baby-Boom generation consumers aged 41 to 64 who are overwhelmingly interested in new tech solutions that fit in with an active lifestyle. My take on the data is that the Boomers are not put off by the “stigma” of being seen wearing hearing aids so much as attracted to slick new well-designed products that combine superior form with high-tech function.

Starkey’s “invisible” product line now includes the entry-level AMP hearing aids and its high-performance Soundlens products, both of which sit deep within the ear canal. Starkey’s Xino product family is a on open-fit, behind-the-ear, receiver in the canal (RIC) product that is so tiny it is also marketed in the “invisible” category. Starkey has marketed the AMP system aggressively as a first-time solution for users who would not otherwise want to wear hearing aids.

I’ve gotten comments on my previous posts about Starkey’s invisible hearing aid marketing campaigns from readers who say the company is playing into stereotypes about hearing aids as something to be ashamed of and something to hide from others. I’m sure there are plenty of consumers out there worried about the lingering stigma of having to use hearing aids, but I think something else is going on in the market as well. I like to think tech-savvy Baby-Boom consumers are attracted more to the positive aspects of well-designed hearing products that push the limits of miniaturization and performance than to the fact that they are afraid of being seen wearing hearing aids.

The Most Important Hidden Benefit Of Next-Generation Hearing Aids Is Noise Reduction, Not Amplification

It’s important to get the right levels of amplification in your hearing aids, especially in speech frequencies. Indeed, improved clarity of speech and high-frequency sounds is the first thing you notice when you are fitted with a good new pair of hearing aids. But an equally important feature–even if it’s one you never notice–is how well they reduce noise through digital (0r dynamic) noise reduction (DNR).

Everyone knows hearing aids amplify sound. But hearing-aid wearers also know that amplifying all sounds, including unwanted background noise, often makes it harder, not easier, to hear what people are saying. In fact, straining to understand amplified voices that compete with amplified background noise is one of the leading causes of hearing-related fatigue, which can be bad for your health.

The good news is that hearing-aid manufacturers have been steadily improving a combination of technologies over the past decade to deliver a big step increase in noise reduction. New sound processing software with sophisticated DNR algorithms are making full use of powerful digital signal processors (DSPs) to virtually eliminate background noise, such as air-conditioner fan noise in the conference room or road noise in the car, making it much easier to understand what people are saying. And much-improved directional microphones further shield you from unwanted noise while focusing on the voices of the people you are facing.

Taken together, these improved technologies make it much easier to understand speech in noise. That’s what I’m finding in my current search for a new set of hearing aids. I’ve recently been trying out two pairs from Liberty Hearing, a provider of hearing aids to Sam’s Clubs, and I’ve been wowed by the improvement in noise reduction over my previous four-year-old set of hearing aids.

When I stepped out into mid-day traffic in Manhattan, I switched on the “Noisy” program setting, and for once I didn’t feel assaulted by the traffic noise. When I took a ride on the Amtrak train, all the rumbling and track noise disappeared, and I could suddenly hear conversations of people three seats away. At home, a ventilation fan in the hood above our stove that usually drives me absolutely crazy seemed silent. And for the first time in years, I didn’t have to turn off my hearing aids when my wife and daughter turned on the blender to make smoothies.

And while the new hearing aids still don’t eliminate all the background chatter in a noisy restaurant, it’s easier to hear my dinner companions than with my previous hearing aids. Perhaps most important, I’ve been very aware of a reduction in the stress of wearing hearing aids. Because the new hearing aids are reducing the noises that I previously had to put up with to hear other people’s amplified voices, I am am experiencing far less hearing fatigue.

All the major hearing-aid manufacturers promote their digital noise reduction algorithms, and I hope to try out many of them. There’s an excellent review of the Starkey IQ sound processing software’s DNR feature on Steve Claridge’s HearingAidKnow site. Starkey IQ doesn’t just eliminate all the noise in gaps between a speaker’s words, but also reduces noise between syllables, which he is a big help in understanding speech. For more information, go to the Healthy Hearing overview of digital noise reduction authored by hearing-aid technology guru Mark Ross. He wrote it several years ago but it is still the best layman’s summary of DNR I’ve seen.

In the meantime, if you’re shopping for a new set of hearing aids, be sure to ask about their noise reduction feature. When you try them out, take a walk out on the street or through a crowded cafeteria. In addition to noticing all the new sounds you hear, you may also be pleasantly surprised at everything you don’t hear.

Hearing-Aid Industry Unbound: Ten Trends To Follow In 2012 That Could Help Drive Double-Digit Growth

Every January, I jot down ten trends I plan to watch that will provide insights about how, why and when innovative technologies and new business ventures might unleash growth in the hearing-aid industry. In 2011, the global hearing-aid industry experienced something on the order of two percent growth. That’s a disappointing performance in a year when millions of Baby-Boom-generation adults in America alone had already lost so much of their hearing that they should have been racing to buy their first set of hearing aids. Why didn’t the market boom materialize in 2011, and will 2012 be any different? Here are ten trends I will be writing about where significant progress might help break that logjam in competition, innovation and growth:

1. Wireless Technologies: In 2011, all the major hearing-aid companies introduced one form or another of wireless communication between assistive listening devices and their hearing aids. Big announcements included streamers for broadcasting TV directly into receivers in your hearing aids, and synching Bluetooth receivers in your hearing aids with your cellphone. Wireless communication between your left and right hearing aids, to provide better stereophonic left-right balance and better location of sound, was also a big feature that the majors started to introduce. I’m expecting more of the same in 2012, along with the first reports of user experiences with these new technologies. Questions to be answered: Is their very high cost worth the benefit you get from them? Are they as easy to use as the manufacturers claim? Are they so much better than earlier, simpler, t-coil based solutions that they will find a big market in 2012?
2. Big Manufacturers Get Bigger: The big manufacturers–Sonova Group, William Demant Holdings, Siemens Hearing Instruments, GN Store Nord, and Starkey Laboratories–all seemed to be growing faster than the industry average in 2012. Those who were required to report their financial results were bullish about organic growth driven by new product introductions. In the global hearing industry we have a lot of vertical integration, with manufacturers controlling the design, development, manufacturing and distribution of their products, nearly to the point of sale, where they move their products mainly through networks of audiologists who usually resell no more than one or two brands, and who are very brand-loyal. The big players serve the top end of the market where customers can afford the multi-thousand-dollar price tag of a pair of hearing aids, and they are able to generate strong enough profits to continue funding development work that keeps them at the cutting edge of technology with leadership products. Expect more strengthening of the majors in 2012, with some interesting new high-end products and technologies.
3. Upstarts Challenge the Status Quo: While the big players at the high end of the market should continue to consolidate their positions, 2012 should also see many new upstarts with new technologies entering the mid- and entry-levels of the market with more affordable hearing-assistance products. Off-the-shelf DSPs (digital signal processors) and sound processing software are available, as are other components required to build hearing aids. In fact, the total cost of parts and basic software required to build a set of high-quality hearing aids runs into the hundreds, not thousands, of dollars. So there is room for new ventures with new product ideas to meet the huge unmet need for hearing assistance. I will be following and writing about as many of these interesting new ventures as I can.
4. Internet Hearing Aid Sales: There are already a number of companies selling programmable hearing aids direct from the manufacturer over the internet–Audicus, Audiotoniq, America Hears, HearSource, DIY Hearing Aids, hi HealthInnovations, and MD Hearing Aid are just a few. These vendors ask customers for a recent hearing test that will enable them to program the hearing aids to your profile before they ship them to you.  However, most consumers don’t already have a hearing test, and when they do get a hearing test it’s usually from an audiologist or dispenser ready to sell them a new set of hearing aids then and there. So the internet providers usually reach a small, discriminating market of experienced hearing-aid users who already have a copy of a recent hearing test, who know exactly what they want and, with the proper research, understand they can get quality hearing aids programmed and shipped directly from the manufacturer. But this small market segment may heat up in 2012. The reeason is that hi HealthInnovations, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group insurance company, is a new 800-pound gorilla in this marketplace who may change the competitive dynamics dramatically. Stay tuned.
5. Do-It-Yourself Hearing Tests: hi HealthInnovations asks consumers to take a web-based test that screens them for hearing loss. The test can show if some hearing assistance would be of help, and it also says it will let you know if your hearing is so bad you should head straight to an audiologist for a full personal workup. A number of other manufacturers provide hearing screening tests and there are even half a dozen hearing-test apps in the Apple iPhone store. But so far these are extremely rudimentary, and when asked, those offering the tests will tell you that if you suspect any serious issues with your hearing, you should schedule an appointment right away with a doctor, ENT, and/or audiologist. But there’s no reason that more sophisticated do-it-yourself hearing tests can’t be developed. Software on your personal computer is powerful enough and noise cancelling headphones can go a way toward replicating the silence of the padded booth in your audiologist’s office. I expect to see more sophisticated self-screening tests for hearing in 2012. While it will be many years before they can substitute for a full workup, I’m expecting they will help consumers know if any of the the growing number of off-the-shelf personal sound amplification products (PSAPs) now available on the market would provide the right level of amplification for their hearing loss. Which brings us to….
6. Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids/PSAPs: Since the FDA in the U.S. published guidelines for the sale of over-the-counter hearing aids that provide basic amplification, without requiring a hearing test, there have been a number of new entrants in the new market for Personal Sound Amplification Products (PSAPs). It’s been a slow build, because many of the new players are small and without any brand name recognition. Plus many of the products are built with inexpensive components and provide poor audio quality. But you can expect this picture to change in 2012, with the introduction of increasingly sophisticated PSAPs at a variety of price points. Look at my recent post on PSAP products introduced at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) from big-name consumer audio companies like RCA and Acoustic Research, and you’ll get a glimpse of more to come.
7. Big-Box Retail: The “big box” stores such as Costco, Walmart, Sam’s Clubs, Sears and others have been selling hearing aids for quite a while. We didn’t see much news from this segment in the past year, and I suspect it’s because the product quality wasn’t superior. Very often the big box stores end up selling earlier generations of major manufacturers’ products, plus in the past support and fitting services could be spotty. I expect all this to continue changing for the better in 2012, as the stores upgrade their product lines and services, including in-house audiologists and/or more experienced dispenser/fitters, as well as the potential for private-label products that are just as good as the major hearing-aid brands, but at lower big-box-store prices. If Walmart, Costco and others get the product and service equation down correctly, they could bust open the mid-level of the market by providing excellent hearing aids for far less than the $2,000-3,000 per hearing aid price you often have to pay when you buy a major brand from an independent audiologist.
8. High-End Retail: When are we going to see hearing stores in high-end malls? Or name-brand hearing stores in downtown locations or small-town suburbs. There’s room for a retail option between the independent audiologist’s office and the big-box stores. I’d like to see an audiologist office with an attractive selection of hearing aids, headphones, assistive listening devices and other high-end hearing products under a glass counter in a store in the mall right next to my favorite supplier of eyeglasses. Will we see a major push into high-end retail in 2012? Don’t count on it. In 2010/2011 we saw HearUSA and the HearRX retail brand get swallowed up by Siemens Hearing Instruments when it failed to make timely payments on a line of credit. So the big money may stay on the sidelines when it comes to high-end hearing-aid retail ventures in 2012. But I’m leaving it on the list because, well, darn it, it’s an idea whose time has certainly come. So why not in 2012?
9. Induction Loops: 2012 may well be the Year of the Hearing Induction Loop. Or so thinks The New York Times. Its story last October on the proliferation of hearing loops in public auditoriums and other public spaces was definitive. Induction loop technology is based on the decades-old technology of induction through telecoils. It’s very simple and easy to install. However, while it’s cost-effective, it’s not inexpensive, and given that the hearing aid population is still smaller than it should be, and that not all hearing aids are equipped with telecoils, hearing loops haven’t yet taken the world by storm. There are a lot more of them in Europe than in the U.S., though, and according to the New York Times it’s only a matter of time before hearing loops become common throughout North America. So we can expect to hear more about this highly effective technology in 2012.
10. Invisible Hearing Aids: In 2010/2011 there was a lot of action in the “invisible hearing aid” market segment, and we’ll continue to see more. My personal feeling is, why make tradeoffs for the cosmetic appeal of hiding your hearing loss, when a visible open-fit BTE or other solution can do more and better for you? But it’s been so long since I worried about the cosmetics of the big hearing aids I use for my severe hearing loss that I’ve become somewhat insensitive to consumers’ concerns about the continuing stigma of wearing hearing aids. So I believe the manufacturers have been smart to market an “invisible” opiton to consumers who would not otherwise even consider hearing aids. At the same time, while I believe these invisible aids will grow into a strong market segment, I’m predicting you will see many consumers quickly get over the stigma of hearing assistance once they see what a positive difference it makes in their lives, and step up from invisible aids to open fit BTE’s that provide more functionality, such as wireless linking with their Bluetooth phones. So I’ll be writing more about “invisible hearing aids” in 2012.
11. Implants: Okay, this is an 11th bonus trend. Surgical hearing-assistance implants are becoming big business globally, and while they won’t replace hearing aids, they will certainly gain in the marketplace. Cochlear implant maker Applied Bionics had its share of problems in 2010/2011, with a broad product recall taking it out of the market for a time and reducing the number of global competitors in the cochlear implant market from three to two. But #2 AB is back, and following its acquisition by Sonova Group, it has the financial resources to compete toe-t0-toe with global leader Cochlear Limited. CI’s continue to improve, in the processing power of the behind-the-ear sound processors, in the software used to drive them, and in the number of electrodes stuffed into the implants themselves. So we can expect a lot of competition and innovation in this market in 2012. At the same time, we’ll see a lot of action in the bone-anchored hearing-aid (BAHA) market, to treat single-sided deafness. And we’ll see startups with unique middle-ear hearing-aid implants–including Envoy Medical’s Esteem implant and an interesting new implant on the wall of the cochlea from Otokinetics–continue to gain traction in the market.

I could easily add another 10 or 20 more items to this list of trends, but taken together, the 11 I’ve covered here will be enough to generate some real excitement in the global hearing-technology business in 2012. And with luck, we’ll see one or more hit the jackpot and start to find some big user acceptance and drive some substantial growth in the industry in 2012.

ReSound’s Water-Resistant “iSolate Nanotech” Coating Is On Cutting Edge Of A Revolution In Hearing Aid Materials

ReSound’s announcement that its iSolate Nantotech protective coating has reduced moisture-related repairs to its hearing aids by 50 percent since its introduction six months ago is the latest example of a quiet revolution in modern materials that is transforming the hearing aid industry.

As the spotlight has been shining on new sound processing systems and other software-driven bells and whistles that have improved digital hearing aids enormously in the past two years, the leading manufacturers have also been experimenting with nanotech-based materials, water-resistant coatings, and ceramic housings that have made hearing aids more comfortable, more durable, and far less likely to require repairs. In an industry historically marked by unusually high product return rates and high numbers of customers who stop wearing their hearing aids shortly after buying them, this revolution in materials is driving higher levels of customer satisfaction with more comfortable and reliable products.

ReSound’s iSolate nanotech coating, now used in all of ReSound’s hearing aids, establishes a thin protective layer that bonds at the molecular level with the internal and external components of the hearing aid, shielding them without affecting their performance. The application process, which is done in a vacuum chamber, ensures global coating of all components inside and out. Liquids or moisture coming into contact with the hearing aids simply roll off without being absorbed.

Because moisture related failure is one of the main causes of hearing-aid returns, the innovation has had a dramatic impact on product reliability. ReSound said that in a review of 50,000 hearing aids sold in the first six months since its introduction, it found that the iSolate nanotech protective coating decreased moisture and debris related repairs by 50 percent.

ReSound’s innovation is only the latest in a series of new materials and manufacturing processes announced by industry leaders.

• Starkey Laboratories’ Advanced HydraShield moisture protection system “integrates nano-coating, unibody construction and smart component placement,” which the company claims “provides 100 percent resistance to water, humidity, perspiration and corrosion, both inside and out.”
• Phonak’s “high-tech ceramic housings” are more attractive and comfortable because they are scratch resistant, they adapt to body temperature more quickly and help prevent perspiration in or behind the ear, they are hypo-allergenic, and they are shock-resistant.
• Oticon says its new super-power Chili hearing aid’s “unique shock absorbing receiver mounting prevents it from breaking should the instrument be dropped or fall off the ear,” while a “full body nano-coating” and internal seal protect the electronic parts from water, moisture, and dirt.
• And Cochlear Ltd says its Nucleus 5 cochlear implant, made with high-tech materials including water-resistant batteries, can be submerged in water for up to 30 minutes without failing.

And we can expect to see more announcements like these–although ReSound is the first manufacturer I know of who has actually documented the benefits of new materials by tracking a reduction in repair rates–because reliability is a critical factor in the success of any new in-ear or behind-the-ear product. Any audiologist or hearing aid designer can tell you that the inner ear is one of the most hostile places on the planet for miniature, high-performance, digital electronic devices. It’s wet, humid, and full of potential infectious agents. And because the devices themselves are so tiny, they are far too easy for large human fingers (especially for those of us who are “all thumbs”), to drop on the floor and otherwise abuse. Therefore the space-age materials that are making today’s hearing aids more durable and comfortable than ever before may be as important to their acceptance by more users as their ability to provide high-quality amplified sound.

Oticon’s New ConnectLine Microphone Completes End-To-End Connection Between Hearing Aids And Your Conversation Partner

Oticon’s ConnectLine communication devices have made it easier for users of hearing aids to listen to their Apple iPods and personal MP3 players, their TVs, and their Bluetooth mobile phones for a while now. But with yesterday’s introduction of the Oticon ConnectLine personal microphone, you’ll finally be able to hear your dinner companion as well, even in a noisy restaurant.

The new wireless Oticon ConnectLine Microphone clips to your conversation partner’s lapel and picks up his or her voice while filtering out unwanted background sounds. It transmits the audio directly to the ConnectLine Streamer, which you wear on a loop around your neck, and the streamer transmits the unadulterated audio signals directly into your Oticon Agil hearing aids. It can also be adjusted to transmit at frequencies most compatible with the listener’s hearing-loss profile and hearing aids.

Ever since the big hearing aid makers began incorporating communication receivers directly into hearing aids, there’s been a not-so-quiet revolution in people’s ability to connect to more of the sounds of the modern world. But strangely enough, it’s taken some time for the major manufacturers to come up with workable assistive-listening solutions for the most common complaint of hearing-aid wearers–comprehension of speech in noisy surroundings. The ConnectLine Microphone is one approach to the speech-in-noise problem that is small and easy enough to actually be useful in the real world. When you add to the Oticon ConnectLine solutions for your TV, phone and personal listening system, you end up with a complete, end-to-end listening and comprehension system. Read more

ExSilent AirTAP Technology Makes It Easy To Switch Program Settings On New QLeaf Pro Invisible Hearing Aid

ExSilent introduced the QLeaf Pro invisible hearing aid featuring new AirTAP technology that makes it simple to switch between four program settings optimized for different listening environments.

The young independent hearing aid manufacturer based in the Netherlands made a splash in 2009 when it introduced ExSilent Q invisible hearing aid, which sits deep within the ear canal and features a soft modular tip that doesn’t require a custom ear mold fitting. It went on to introduce the QLeaf hearing aid in 2010, which was smaller and came with a more powerful digital platform featuring either four or eight channels and eight or 12 bands for more robust sound processing.

Now the QLeaf Pro has a solution for one of the toughest design challenges for makers of digital hearing aids that sit so deep within the ear canal to be virtually invisible: how to change program settings without having to remove the hearing aid and manually push a button or reset a switch. Some manufacturers have a magnetic wand that you can wave near your ear that triggers a magnetic switch, and others have remote control devices you can carry in your pocket. The AirTAP technology eliminates the need for an extra device by responding directly to the pressure change when you simply tap your ear gently with your finger, also eliminating the need for a switch or button on the device. Read more

Why Lantos Technologies’ Search For The Perfect Earmold Is A Game-Changer For The Hearing Aid And High-End Audio Industries

Lantos Technologies, a Cambridge, Massachusetts startup company working with patented technology developed at MIT, is on a quest for the perfect ear mold fitting.

With $1.6 million in venture capital funding, the company is developing a unique scanner that will create an exact digital image of the inner ear, enabling ear mold manufacturers to produce hearing-aid shells, earphones, and other in-ear devices that provide a perfect custom fit for the wearer.

If Lantos is successful, its product could be a game-changer not only for the hearing-aid industry, but also for makers of a broad array of high-end audio electronics and hearing protection equipment. Perfect-fitting earmolds enabled by the Lantos scanner could pave the way for entirely new consumer products that are currently impractical to bring to bring to market, because the cost of ensuring an accurate fit for every user would be prohibitive.

Audiologists and hearing-aid customers put up with the necessary evil of taking ear mold impressions for hearing aids and other select products only when they must, because there is currently no alternative. Getting a good ear mold is a messy process that involves injecting soft silicone putty into your ear down to within millimeters of your ear drum, leaving it there for several minutes until it starts to dry and harden, and then pulling it out and sending it to an ear mold manufacturer. All the while you keep your fingers crossed, hoping the impression doesn’t have so many flaws that you have to perform the procedure all over again. Read more

Phonak Spices Up Its New Ambra And Audeo S Hearing Aids With A Next-Generation Digital Signal Processing Platform

Worldwide hearing-aid market leader Phonak is rolling out its new Ambra and Audeo S families of hearing aids based on its “Spice Generation” sound processing and fitting platform. At the heart of the new platform is the new Spice digital signal processing (DSP) chipset, which has twice the processing power, is twice as fast and has three times the memory than the company’s previous DSP platform. The Spice Generation platform also enables smaller form factors, which the company calls “CountourDesign,” and it comes with a new “Target” software system to make it easier for audiologists to program the new hearing aids to more exactly meet their patients’ needs.

The company calls its new Phonak Ambra hearing aid family “the premium flagship of the Phonak Spice Generation.” It features true binaural communication between both hearing aids in a set, enabling users to more easily locate sound and hear better in challenging listening environments, “adaptive intelligence” which personalizes the hearing instrument by enabling it to adapt to the users’ environment, and a smaller, more elegant design. Among other things, binaural communication enables a “DuoPhone” feature which allows the user to have phone conversations streamed to both ears simultaneously for better telephone comprehension. Binaural communications also enables “StereoZoom,” which creates a bi-directional network of four telephones from two hearing instruments to locate sound and focus on a single speaker while suppressing other sounds, and “auto ZoomControl” which automatically determines where the dominant voice is in the room and focuses on it.

In addition to superior next-generation performance, the Ambra hearing aids are 20 to 30 percent smaller than Phonak’s earlier Exelia models. They are available in all form factors, including both behind-the-ear (BTE) and custom in-the-ear formats.

The Audeo S hearing aids, also based on the Spice Generation platform, are the next generation of Phonak’s popular Audeo tiny open-fit, behind-the-ear products with speaker-in-the-ear — or as the company puts it, “canal-receiver technology” (CRT). The Audeo S aids come in three Model versions at three performance and price levels. Audeo S MINI is the standard performance level, Audeo S SMART offer power performance, and Audeo S YES offers super-power performance. Because of improved feedback canceling and noise suppression, the super-power model widens the fitting range of the open-fit products to extend into severe-hearing-loss territory. According to a presentation at the EUHA (International Union of Hearing Aid Acousticians) conference last October by Valentin Chapero, CEO of Phonak’s corporate parent Sonova Group, the market for CRT’s is growing faster than any other kind of hearing aid.

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